Charter Application For Florida Elementary Temporarily Withdrawn

The people of White Springs, Florida have been waiting in suspense to see if the school board would approve the charter application for South Hamilton Elementary School. That was supposed to be decided in Monday night's school board meeting, but in a surprise turn the Governing Board withdrew the application.

The Hamilton County School Board pointed out eight deficiencies. They include issues like whether a town qualifies as an applicant and saying they need a more detailed financial plan.

The school's governing board will review the deficiencies and resubmit the application.

"That gives us two months to improve the deficiencies they're talking about in our charter. We can go back and consult with the Department of Education and get the answers to some of the discrepancies they were in the charter," said Kathy Fender, member of the South Hamilton Governing Board.

The Governing Board and School Board agreed to make the new application deadline October 1st. At that time the school board will vote to either accept or reject it. If they reject it, the Governing Board will likely appeal to the Department of Education.

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Hamilton County, Fl -- July 15, 2012

The school board in Hamilton County, Florida will vote to either accept or reject a school's charter application Monday.

The Governing Board of South Hamilton Elementary wants to turn the elementary into a charter school. That would make it independent from the school district.

The initiative stems from recent calls from the school board to close the elementary despite its success. If the school board rejects the charter application the Governing Board plans to appeal to the Department of Education.

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